Testing has found whirling disease throughout the Bow River and its tributaries as well as commercial aquaculture sites
LACOMBE, Alta. — Alberta’s Bow River watershed has been declared infected with whirling disease, a parasitic infection affecting trout, salmon and whitefish. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Alberta Environment are working on long-term surveillance of wild fish and aquaculture facilities. Commercial facilities will have to test fish for the disease and implement approved biosecurity […] Read moreNews
Bow River watershed infected with fish parasitic disease
Federal research money needed to move ag forward
GUELPH, Ont. — The time is ripe for an investment in plant breeding and other agricultural research, according to a University of Sask-atchewan agricultural economist. Given the federal government’s commitment in its recent budget to agricultural innovation and the enactment of the Agricultural Growth Act two years ago, steps can be taken to increase spending, […] Read more
Olds College gets $16 million
Olds College has received a record $16 million donation to create the Werklund Agriculture Institute to specialize in smart and sustainable agriculture and business solutions. Calgary oilman and philanthropist David Werklund and his partner, Susan Norman, have provided a tiered donation with a total cumulative impact of $32 million when all leverage opportunities are realized. […] Read more
Food helps hike Cargill profit
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Cargill Inc. third quarter profit rose as strong earnings from its food ingredients and protein units more than offset lagging results from South American grain trading and processing. The privately held company has streamlined operations to focus on higher-margin businesses such as food ingredients and fish feeding . “We had strong results […] Read more
Cash deferral plan irks farmers
A proposal to eliminate deferred cash purchase tickets for grain deliveries has alarmed prairie farmers. “This could be one of the biggest effects to agriculture that the government has really ever tried to implement in the past few generations. It’s really that significant,” said Stephen Vandervalk, a farmer from Fort Macleod, Alta. He said most […] Read more
Time is running out on rail service legislation
Federal legislation aimed at addressing the transportation concerns of western Canadian grain shippers is expected to be introduced this spring, according to federal and provincial politicians. But time is running short, say grain industry groups. “We’re definitely getting down to the wire,” said Greg Northey, a director with Pulse Canada. “The expectation was that it […] Read more
Alta. takes bids for energy projects
The Alberta government announced a bidding process March 24 for renewable energy companies to produce 400 megawatts of electrical generation by the end of 2019, and it plans to encourage development of projects to provide 5,000 megawatts from renewable sources by 2030. Energy Minister Margaret McCuaig-Boyd said the bidding process is expected to attract “at […] Read more
AG Notes
FCC seeks nominations for community awards Farm Credit Canada is accepting applications from registered charities and non-profit organizations in rural Canada for the FCC AgriSpirit Fund. The fund will award $1.5 million this year to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary. The application deadline is April 17, and FCC will announce the selected projects in August. The […] Read more
Brazil finds problems in samples from meat plants being investigated
BRASILIA, April 6 (Reuters) – Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry said on Thursday it had found salmonella and staphylococci in eight of the 302 samples of meat-based products collected from the 21 meat processing plants being investigated in a corruption probe. The ministry said it had started procedures to cancel the federal inspection licenses of at least […] Read more
U.S. producers bet the farm on Chinese soy demand
By Mark Weinraub CHICAGO, April 6 (Reuters) – Struggling U.S. farmers are pressing their luck with soybeans this spring, sowing record acreage even though the world is awash with the oilseed, as demand from China offers a potential lifeline. Soybean plantings could surpass corn for the first time this year, with rising exports holding up […] Read more
